NUS Bulletin AY2024/25

Opportunities abound for nursing research to make a substantial impact on population health and improve approaches to patient care. The shift in emphasis from treatment to prevention of illness and from acute illness to chronic conditions, as well as an urgent need to translate successful research findings into clinical practice has led framed the research training agenda at the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies (NUS Nursing).  Teaching processes in the graduate research programmes aim to develop a dynamic, vital, and productive community of investigators who conduct rigorous research to establish the scientific and evidence base for patient care.

Objectives:

The MSc (Nursing) and PhD programmes aim to develop graduates characterised by their:

• ability to identify, formulate, and address problems through research;
• drive for evidence-based nursing research and practice;
• creative and strategic approach to lead the nursing profession nationally and internationally;
• entrepreneurial spirit to lead innovation which will impact on the profession and the health care industry.

The following degrees will be offered:

• Master of Science (Nursing) [MSc (Nursing)]
• Doctor of Philosophy [PhD]

The MSc (Nursing) degree is designed to provide research training specifically for nurses who have a Bachelor degree without an Honours component. It will provide both stand-alone postgraduate research training and serve as a pathway to the PhD programme for nurses without an Honours degree.

The PhD will be offered with two flexible options:

Option A: A traditional thesis of a maximum of 80,000 words; or
Option B: An integrated thesis by publication of a maximum of 80,000 words.

Degree Requirements and Curriculum Structure

 The MSc (Nursing) comprises 20 modular credits and a 40,000 word thesis.

The PhD comprises 28 modular credits and an 80,000 word thesis.

Students will undertake research under the supervision of staff members from NUS Nursing for their period of candidature, at the end of which a thesis will be submitted for examination by the Thesis Examination Panel.  In addition to the research component, students are required to fulfil a coursework component comprising of the following:

MSc (Nursing)    : 3 core + 1 elective modules
PhD                    : 3 core + 3 elective modules

Modules taken will be at levels 5000 and 6000 and must be equivalent to at least 4 module credits. Elective modules can be chosen from those offered by NUS Nursing or any School or Research Institutes/Centres affiliated with the National University of Singapore (subject to the university guidelines). These are subject to the approval of the supervisors and the Head of NUS Nursing.

To be confirmed a PhD candidate; a student is required to pass a PhD qualifying examination within two years from the date of admission.

Candidates deemed weak in English by NUS Nursing would also have to sit for the Diagnostic English Test and take additional English Language courses conducted by the Centre for English Language Communication.

All PhD candidates are required to take ES5002 (Advanced Level Writing) regardless of their performance in the Diagnostic English Test.

 

Residency Requirements and Candidature

Residency requirements

All candidates must spend a minimum period of residence in Singapore as follows:

MSc (Nursing)    :  6 months (one semester)
PhD                    : 18 months (three semesters)

Residency requires:

1. Payment of fees;
2. Satisfying all curricular requirements of the programme of study; and
3. Satisfying other departmental requirements such as teaching assistance

Periods of study leave and overseas fieldwork do not count toward residency. In addition, MSc (Nursing) and PhD candidates must be resident during the semester in which they submit their thesis for examination.

Candidature

The following maximum candidature periods are inclusive of periods of approved study leave and leave of absence.

MSc (Nursing)    :   36 months (Full-time & Part-time)
PhD                    :   60 months (Full-time & Part-time)

 

Continuation and graduation requirements

Continuation

For continuation of candidature, candidates have to meet the following Cumulative Average Point (CAP) set for coursework:

MSc (Nursing) :   CAP should not fall below 2.50 for two consecutive semesters or 3.00 for three consecutive semesters
PhD                 :   CAP should not fall below 3.00 for two consecutive semesters or 3.50 for three consecutive semesters

Termination of candidature would result if a student fails to maintain the minimum CAP as stipulated above.

MSc (Nursing) candidate whose CAP falls below 3.00 (but ≥ 2.50),  will be issued an academic warning. If the candidate’s CAP again falls below 3.00 in the following semester, he/she will be placed on probation. If the candidate’s CAP remains below 3.00 for the third consecutive semester, the candidate will be issued a letter of dismissal by the Registrar and denied re-admission.

MSc (Nursing) candidates whose CAP falls below 2.50 for two consecutive semesters will be placed on probation for the first semester, followed by dismissal in the second semester.

A PhD candidate whose CAP falls below 3.50 (but ≥ 3.00), will be issued an academic warning. If the candidate’s CAP again falls below 3.50 in the following semester, he/she will be placed on probation. If the student’s CAP remains below 3.50 for the third consecutive semester, the student will be issued a letter of dismissal by the Registrar and denied re-admission.

PhD candidates whose CAP falls below 3.00 for two consecutive semesters will be placed on probation for the first semester, followed by dismissal in the second semester.

A student may also be issued a warning, placed on probation or be issued a letter of termination for poor performance in the PhD qualifying examination, research thesis, or other programme requirements.

Such a student may appeal the dismissal if there are extenuating circumstances. The appeal must be submitted to NUS Nursing within two calendar weeks of the last day of the release of each semester’s examination results.

Generally, a student is allowed only one such appeal per candidature. If the appeal is rejected, the student will not be readmitted. If the outcome of the appeal is positive, the student will be given one semester in which to achieve the minimum CAP required for continuation and graduation.

 

Graduation Requirements

MSc (Nursing)

• Pass three core and one elective modules (with 20 modular credits)
• A CAP of at least 3.00 (B-) in the elective module
• A Satisfactory grade in the three core modules
• Pass the MSc (Nursing) Thesis
• A minimum grade of C+ for all levels of English course(s) where applicable

PhD

• Pass three core and three elective modules (with 28 modular credits)
• A CAP of at least 3.50 (B) in the elective modules
• A Satisfactory grade in the three core modules
• Pass the Qualifying Examination comprising of a comprehensive written examination and oral defence of the PhD Thesis proposal
• Satisfactory performance at the annual PhD Symposium (formative assessment)
• Pass the PhD Thesis and Oral Examination
• A minimum grade of C+ for all levels of English course(s), where applicable

Leave of absence

The University policies on leave of absence shall apply.

Examination rules

The University policies on examination rules shall apply.

Admission Requirements

MSc (Nursing) Programme

• Has a minimum of one year work experience at the point of entry into the course
• Bachelor’s degree in Nursing or healthcare-related subjects with at least a Second Class Honours or its equivalent; or
• Coursework Master’s degree in Nursing or healthcare-related subjects with a CAP of 3.50 or above; or
• Bachelor’s degree in Nursing or healthcare-related subjects and evidence of outcomes from a research project equivalent to 25% of one year’s full-time study

PhD Programme

• Has a minimum of one year work experience at the point of entry into the course
• Bachelor’s degree in Nursing or healthcare-related subjects with at least a Second Upper Class Honours or its equivalent; or
• Coursework Master’s degree in Nursing or healthcare-related subjects with a CAP of 3.50 or above.
• Candidates are also expected to have the ability to pursue research in their proposed field of advanced study.

 

Other Requirements

TOEFL/IELTS
As the medium of instruction is English, applicants whose native tongue and medium of university undergraduate instruction are not English must submit TOEFL scores as evidence of their proficiency in the English language. The minimum TOEFL score required is 580/237/85 for the paper-based, computer-based and internet-based tests respectively. Exemptions will be given to applicants with distinctions in the Cambridge GCE ‘O’ level examination English Language Paper 1119.

For IELTS, the minimum score required is 6.

The TOEFL/IELTS scores are valid for 2 years from the test date.

GRE
Applicants (except NUS, NTU and SIT graduates from relevant disciplines) should also submit GRE scores to support their application. The minimum total GRE score of 320 for both Verbal and Quantitative sections and a minimum of 3.5 for the Analytical section are required.

The GRE scores are valid for 5 years from the test date.

 

Credit Transfer and Exemptions

• Candidates may apply for credit transfer/module exemption, subject to the approval of NUS Nursing.
• There is no limit to the transfer of credits for relevant modules that have not been used towards another degree at NUS or elsewhere.
• For relevant modules that have been credited towards another degree elsewhere, up to 50% of the modular credits (MCs) required in the coursework component of the NUS graduate research programme into which the candidate seeks admission may be exempted.
• For relevant NUS modules that have been credited towards another degree at NUS, on a case-by-case basis and subject to approval, more than 50% of the MCs required in the coursework component of the NUS graduate research programme may be allowed credit and grade transfer.
• Only graduate modules completed at level 5000 and above which are relevant to the degree programme to which the candidate seeks admission, with substantially the same learning objectives, content, and level of sophistication as the corresponding NUS module may be considered for credit transfer/exemption.
• Credit transfer and exemption is allowed only for modules that are taken less than five years before the date of admission.
• Applications for credit transfer and exemption should be submitted within the first month of candidature.

For university-wide scholarship and financial assistance, visit https://nusgs.nus.edu.sg/scholarships/  and https://nusgs.nus.edu.sg/financial-aid/ respectively